I don't know why the medium isn't in the middle? Isn't his getting a bit ridiculous, no-one will use the Super Hards!

Are they going to adjust the compounds too though? It does seem ridiculous, but I don't know how much of that is down to the too-hard compounds this year (relatively necessary due to lack of ability to test the new regs).

Now they have plenty of data, they might be able to produce a batch of tyres which all prove useful on different weekends in different ways.

2018 ultra soft and 2018 hyper soft are new compounds. I remember Hamilton saying in Monaco I think, the Ultra Soft was like using the Hard tyre elsewhere - it was hard as rocks and needed to be about 2-3 compounds softer. So it seems we will have a full range for all tracks in 2018. I doubt the hardest 2 will be used still though.

This is also great news for none 1 stop races I also think they should try to shortern the pit lanes wherever possible, if only by a few metres and consider raising the speed limit by 10 kmph . Both of which can takes seconds off of pitting and encourage more stops. If this year had had less 1 stoppers it would have been close to a classic season.

2018 ultra soft and 2018 hyper soft are new compounds. I remember Hamilton saying in Monaco I think, the Ultra Soft was like using the Hard tyre elsewhere - it was hard as rocks and needed to be about 2-3 compounds softer. So it seems we will have a full range for all tracks in 2018. I doubt the hardest 2 will be used still though.

This is also great news for none 1 stop races I also think they should try to shortern the pit lanes wherever possible, if only by a few metres and consider raising the speed limit by 10 kmph . Both of which can takes seconds off of pitting and encourage more stops. If this year had had less 1 stoppers it would have been close to a classic season.

Pirelli launched their expanded 2018 F1 tyre range in Abu Dhabi on Friday, including two extra compounds and colours for next year – the pink hypersoft and orange superhard.

It means there will be seven, rather than the current five, slick tyre compounds, all of which are a step softer than this year, making them the fastest tyres in Formula 1 history.

I agree with your pitting ideas, one stops should be a rare event imho. Hopefully super now is like ultra, ultra is softer than they have had in years and then there's an even softer one. Hopefully, those choices will impact on tracks like Russia.

Have fun

_________________“The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other's life. Rarely do members of one family grow up under the same roof.”― Richard Bach, Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah

Seems pointless having a wet when everyone dives in for inters as soon as the safety car comes in.

I sometimes wonder if the "must use 2 different tyres" rules is a good thing. I reckon having some cars trying to go the distance on ultra hard, whilst others do 3 stops on hyper soft could be entertaining. Would force a few people into some on track overtaking.

2018 ultra soft and 2018 hyper soft are new compounds. I remember Hamilton saying in Monaco I think, the Ultra Soft was like using the Hard tyre elsewhere - it was hard as rocks and needed to be about 2-3 compounds softer. So it seems we will have a full range for all tracks in 2018. I doubt the hardest 2 will be used still though.

This is also great news for none 1 stop races I also think they should try to shortern the pit lanes wherever possible, if only by a few metres and consider raising the speed limit by 10 kmph . Both of which can takes seconds off of pitting and encourage more stops. If this year had had less 1 stoppers it would have been close to a classic season.

Pirelli launched their expanded 2018 F1 tyre range in Abu Dhabi on Friday, including two extra compounds and colours for next year – the pink hypersoft and orange superhard.

It means there will be seven, rather than the current five, slick tyre compounds, all of which are a step softer than this year, making them the fastest tyres in Formula 1 history.

I agree with your pitting ideas, one stops should be a rare event imho. Hopefully super now is like ultra, ultra is softer than they have had in years and then there's an even softer one. Hopefully, those choices will impact on tracks like Russia.

Have fun

Depends how you phrase it I guess. The names have gone "harder", what was the medium is now called the hard. But the effect is we will have softer tyres. What is called the supersoft in 2018 will be one compound softer than what was called the super soft in 2017 though.. kind of confusing.

Seems pointless having a wet when everyone dives in for inters as soon as the safety car comes in.

I sometimes wonder if the "must use 2 different tyres" rules is a good thing. I reckon having some cars trying to go the distance on ultra hard, whilst others do 3 stops on hyper soft could be entertaining. Would force a few people into some on track overtaking.

Yes this rule is a bit of a relic from a different age. The same as the parce ferme rule after qualifying that was only brought it when we had race fuel qualifying so teams couldn't sneak extra fuel in.

Seems pointless having a wet when everyone dives in for inters as soon as the safety car comes in.

I sometimes wonder if the "must use 2 different tyres" rules is a good thing. I reckon having some cars trying to go the distance on ultra hard, whilst others do 3 stops on hyper soft could be entertaining. Would force a few people into some on track overtaking.

I think the main reason the Safety Car comes out in the rain is because the wet tyre doesn't work. Remember Brazil last year where they tried to get the race going but you had cars losing control on the pit straight.

We don't need seven tyres. We need about three tyres - soft, medium and hard - with broad enough differences that there's actually a point in running them for different strategies. The soft should never be able to last long enough for a one stop, but should be quick enough to compensate. The medium should be somewhere in the middle, and the hard should last almost the whole GP without being impossible to get working.

What they're going to do instead is that everyone will take the Hypersoft and just drive slow enough to one-stop onto the Ultrasoft.

We don't need seven tyres. We need about three tyres - soft, medium and hard - with broad enough differences that there's actually a point in running them for different strategies. The soft should never be able to last long enough for a one stop, but should be quick enough to compensate. The medium should be somewhere in the middle, and the hard should last almost the whole GP without being impossible to get working.

What they're going to do instead is that everyone will take the Hypersoft and just drive slow enough to one-stop onto the Ultrasoft.

Surely having more choice, means that they will be better able to select three appropriate tyres for any given weekend that provide the broad level of difference you mention to mix up the strategies. If they only have three options to choose from in the first place, there will undoubtedly be certain tracks and weekends, where the difference in tryes is not suitable, or there is a clear preferred strategy that everyone migrates to.

A soft tyre that lasts 15 or so laps at Silverstone is going to probably last the whole race in Russia (not sure I’ve used the best circuits for that comparison, but I am sure you get the idea).

Last edited by WHoff78 on Thu Nov 23, 2017 9:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.

We don't need seven tyres. We need about three tyres - soft, medium and hard - with broad enough differences that there's actually a point in running them for different strategies. The soft should never be able to last long enough for a one stop, but should be quick enough to compensate. The medium should be somewhere in the middle, and the hard should last almost the whole GP without being impossible to get working.

What they're going to do instead is that everyone will take the Hypersoft and just drive slow enough to one-stop onto the Ultrasoft.

Having more choice means they will essentially be able to do that.

If you only had three compounds total then the soft would either be able to run Monaco three times over or be almost unusable round any non street circuit.

The Hard would be either be impossible to turn on round most circuits or far too soft for some etc.

We don't need seven tyres. We need about three tyres - soft, medium and hard - with broad enough differences that there's actually a point in running them for different strategies. The soft should never be able to last long enough for a one stop, but should be quick enough to compensate. The medium should be somewhere in the middle, and the hard should last almost the whole GP without being impossible to get working.

What they're going to do instead is that everyone will take the Hypersoft and just drive slow enough to one-stop onto the Ultrasoft.

Having more choice means they will essentially be able to do that.

If you only had three compounds total then the soft would either be able to run Monaco three times over or be almost unusable round any non street circuit.

The Hard would be either be impossible to turn on round most circuits or far too soft for some etc.

I was thinking more that there would always be a soft, medium and hard for each circuit, and Pirelli would just figure out good specifications for each weekend - it just seems like it would be a bit less silly. But you might be right and it would be harder to do that way.

However, instead of having seven silly tyres with seven names, they could just bring three of them to each circuit and call them a soft, a medium and a hard. I don't know if it's just me, but having the Hypersoft, the Ultrasoft and the Supersoft as the available tyres is just a little bit absurd.

We don't need seven tyres. We need about three tyres - soft, medium and hard - with broad enough differences that there's actually a point in running them for different strategies. The soft should never be able to last long enough for a one stop, but should be quick enough to compensate. The medium should be somewhere in the middle, and the hard should last almost the whole GP without being impossible to get working.

What they're going to do instead is that everyone will take the Hypersoft and just drive slow enough to one-stop onto the Ultrasoft.

Having more choice means they will essentially be able to do that.

If you only had three compounds total then the soft would either be able to run Monaco three times over or be almost unusable round any non street circuit.

The Hard would be either be impossible to turn on round most circuits or far too soft for some etc.

I was thinking more that there would always be a soft, medium and hard for each circuit, and Pirelli would just figure out good specifications for each weekend - it just seems like it would be a bit less silly. But you might be right and it would be harder to do that way.

However, instead of having seven silly tyres with seven names, they could just bring three of them to each circuit and call them a soft, a medium and a hard. I don't know if it's just me, but having the Hypersoft, the Ultrasoft and the Supersoft as the available tyres is just a little bit absurd.

Oh I see. Then yes I agree. I'd actually been thinking the same thing myself. Just have loads of compounds to chose from but call whatever you bring to the circuit soft, medium or hard.

We don't need seven tyres. We need about three tyres - soft, medium and hard - with broad enough differences that there's actually a point in running them for different strategies. The soft should never be able to last long enough for a one stop, but should be quick enough to compensate. The medium should be somewhere in the middle, and the hard should last almost the whole GP without being impossible to get working.

What they're going to do instead is that everyone will take the Hypersoft and just drive slow enough to one-stop onto the Ultrasoft.

Having more choice means they will essentially be able to do that.

If you only had three compounds total then the soft would either be able to run Monaco three times over or be almost unusable round any non street circuit.

The Hard would be either be impossible to turn on round most circuits or far too soft for some etc.

I was thinking more that there would always be a soft, medium and hard for each circuit, and Pirelli would just figure out good specifications for each weekend - it just seems like it would be a bit less silly. But you might be right and it would be harder to do that way.

However, instead of having seven silly tyres with seven names, they could just bring three of them to each circuit and call them a soft, a medium and a hard. I don't know if it's just me, but having the Hypersoft, the Ultrasoft and the Supersoft as the available tyres is just a little bit absurd.

Oh I see. Then yes I agree. I'd actually been thinking the same thing myself. Just have loads of compounds to chose from but call whatever you bring to the circuit soft, medium or hard.

Super Hard is just like a contradiction to Hyper soft tyre. We all would want more stops to make pit strategies more lively. What's the use of Super Hard tyre where a car has to switch to another tyre during the race. This would only be useful if there is a safety car or VSC on the 1st lap & someone tries to race till the end.

Drivers were avoiding Hards, Super Hards will just be ignored as well.

Well, ultra is the root of ultimate, so it already should have been the top one. But ignoring that little foible, they could try going into metric progression - that gives them a whole range more softs to expand into in the future!

KilosoftMegasoftGigasoftTerasoftPetasoftExasoftZettasoft

And best of all, it would be intuitively obvious to anyone with computer knowledge which one is softer! No more arguments about which compound should be softer. As for the hard and the medium, get rid of them - Kilosoft is the hardest tyre anyone should need!

Well, ultra is the root of ultimate, so it already should have been the top one. But ignoring that little foible, they could try going into metric progression - that gives them a whole range more softs to expand into in the future!

KilosoftMegasoftGigasoftTerasoftPetasoftExasoftZettasoft

And best of all, it would be intuitively obvious to anyone with computer knowledge which one is softer! No more arguments about which compound should be softer. As for the hard and the medium, get rid of them - Kilosoft is the hardest tyre anyone should need!

Simply create two or three compounds and allow the teams to choose which they prefer, remove the manadatory rule to run on more than one compound and drop the nonsense of starting in the same tyre as Q2 fastest lap.

I thought the tyres were shifting compounds on the scale by about 2 scales. So the new Superhards are more like a medium-hard from this year. So all the compounds become softer but you still have to use 2 compounds in a race.

It's way too confusing, especially how they plan to name the tyres ahead of the events and the colours can change from race to race - that's the worst part. I think they need to come up with a better solution during the winter. I'm surprised it's come to this.

It's a small thing which has annoyed me since they stopped using the option and prime choices for race weekends and the green band or plain tyres. And it annoys me especially now they have more compounds - why can't they just have them in rainbow order from softest to hardest to visa versa?

I kind of get that they may have wanted to spread the colours out so you can tell which was which if the compounds were next to each other, but that also means that if compounds were not next to each other but similar colours you sometimes can't tell (such as the yellow and white). For myself personally, I think it gives the viewer quicker information to simply judge which car has softer or harder tyres by seeing how far down the spectrum they are. And for those of us who would also prefer to know the exact compound each car is on,can still see from the colours.

P.s. Hope that makes sense!

_________________There is no theory of evolution, just a list of animals that Chuck Norris allows to live.

what chance that they will still be too hard and drivers complaining they cant heat them up and they are so tricky to get and keep in the window. the hyper should be like a qualifying tyre and maybe the top teams wont use it as it only lasts 5 laps, but some will take a gamble and mix things up at the start.

I'd love to just number them 1 - 7 and then, as others have suggested, the hardcore fans can find out which numbers are taken to each race but for normal people they just hear soft, medium and hard on any given weekend.

The cynic in me feels that this has a lot to do with Pirelli trying to show off more coloured tyres to promote their coloured road tyre range.

I too am in the boat that thinks that every race should have a Soft, Medium and Hard tyre and that the differing softness of the compounds between each race should be a behind the scenes thing. That way they could probably tailor the tyres to each circuit that they bring. More artificial? Maybe, but if its done behind the scenes then it's not really that big a deal.

what chance that they will still be too hard and drivers complaining they cant heat them up and they are so tricky to get and keep in the window. the hyper should be like a qualifying tyre and maybe the top teams wont use it as it only lasts 5 laps, but some will take a gamble and mix things up at the start.

I doubt it will do exactly that If you want pole then hypersoft, but it'll not last more than 5-7 laps on a medium tyre wear track.

Time to return to top 10 using Q3 tyres?

Or, as the rules stand, the midfield will be using hypers to get to Q3which will affect strategy. (best fight is the midfield most times, no?)

Bentrovato wrote:

I thought the tyres were shifting compounds on the scale by about 2 scales. So the new Superhards are more like a medium-hard from this year. So all the compounds become softer but you still have to use 2 compounds in a race.

It's way too confusing, especially how they plan to name the tyres ahead of the events and the colours can change from race to race - that's the worst part. I think they need to come up with a better solution during the winter. I'm surprised it's come to this.

If you ask me, I think Pirelli have a warehouse filled with orange tyres that no one used this year, so they rebranded them for next year.

(I just love the fact the medium is not the middle/medium one!)

Have fun

_________________“The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other's life. Rarely do members of one family grow up under the same roof.”― Richard Bach, Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah

Simply create two or three compounds and allow the teams to choose which they prefer, remove the manadatory rule to run on more than one compound and drop the nonsense of starting in the same tyre as Q2 fastest lap.

This.

Just give the teams tires that last and allow optimal performance through the entire race.

When the two tire rules came out I enthusiastically endorsed it, believing that this rule change would produce enthralling action. But this has occurred only a very few times, and most of the time it is still a dreary and boring procession.

For a sport that is pretending to being more frugal, this is a completely unnecessary expense.

There was an interesting interview on Sky during the FP3 coverage with a representative from Pirelli. He admitted that they have no intention of using the 'superhard' next season (not entirely surprising as it's the same tyre as this year's 'hard') and it's only there as a back-up option in the event of a Silverstone 2013 situation with tyres failing. So basically all they've done is make all the compounds a step softer and then add one more compound underneath the ultra-soft for which they struggled to come up with a meaningful name.

I'm not so concerned about having an extra compound available, it's the silly naming convention of having six compounds, four of which are different degrees of 'soft', that I have a problem with. A newcomer to the sport is not going to know whether a hyper-soft is softer than an ultra-soft.

I don't see how calling the 3 compounds available each race weekend Hard, Medium, and Soft regardless of what they're actual properties are any less confusing than what is being proposed.

If fact when it comes to arguing about which cars/drivers are easier on the tires would become worse than it is now. If car A handles the "hard' tire better at Sochi than car B did at Monaco is meaningless because those are 2 very different compounds using the same name.

While there are some posters here that I rarely agree with I don't think any of them are stupid. But claiming that you can't keep straight which tire compounds on offer at a given race venue or that new viewers will be too easily confused makes it sound like you, or they, are or at least easily confused.

The naming convention isn't the most straight forward but can be easily learned and each has a distinct name. If there are more than 3 compounds in use you've got to be creative to distinguish between them somehow and there aren't 7 distinct definitions of hardness and there will be multiples of some of the base 3 of Hard, Medium, and Soft.

I don't think what they've proposed is any harder to fathom than:HardMedium HardHard MediumMediumSoft MediumMedium SoftSoft